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August 23, 2016 by Chase Vandros

Traveling in style: how affordable luxury can shake up your next holiday

Traveling in style isn't something that has to be restricted to the wealthy

Photo by CC user Nisarg Vyas on http://www.jetphotos.net/

Have your travels become stagnant of late? If your strict budget has begun to make you weary of checking into yet another dingy motel, why not shake things up by traveling in style for a change?

From getting there to your accommodations, there are numerous ways to inject a bit of affordable luxury into your next trip. In this article, we will explore a few ideas on how you can do just that.

Ride to the airport in comfort

Hate parking your car in a long-term lot, and then taking an uncomfortable shuttle to the airport? Dislike riding in a smelly cab?

Why not hire a limo to transport you there next time? By contracting the services of providers such as Limousine Royalty limo hire in Perth, you will have a ride that will get you in holiday mode from the second you set foot in the back.

With plenty of refreshments, reading material, and space to stretch out, it sure beats fighting traffic, or being forced to hold up the other end of an uncomfortable conversation with a taxi driver.

Save up and fly business class

Ahh yes … Those extra wide seats that many involuntarily sneer at as they walk back towards cattle class. What you perceive as being prohibitively expensive may actually not cost that much more than many normal plane tickets. If you are paying for a $800 flight across the Pacific, there’s a good chance that the business class fare only costs a little bit more than $2,000.

While you may bristle at the thought of paying more than double for the privilege of crossing an ocean, the effort you put into saving that extra money will more than pay for itself with the service and amenities that you’ll encounter up front. From plenty of leg room to meals prepared to restaurant standards, it will be an experience that you won’t soon forget.

Stay in a five star resort

You have glanced into the grounds of many luxurious all-inclusive resorts before, despondent that you possibly couldn’t afford to stay there for your entire holiday. Ask yourself this though: who ever said anything about staying there the entire time?

When you go on holiday, there’s nothing stopping you from spending time in more than one hotel or resort. You can stay at your usual accommodation for the majority of your stay, but you can book a couple of nights in a truly magnificent resort as well.

Even if you aren’t in the position to do that, many all-inclusives allow people that aren’t staying at the resort to buy a day pass. This will allow you to enjoy its many amenities without having to shell out $400 a night for a room.

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August 17, 2016 by Chase Vandros

Save Money and Live it up in Brazil

Live it up in Brazil in places like Ilha Grande

Photo by CC user Fulviusbsas on Wikimedia Commons

Are you itching to go on a trip, yet funds are a little bit tight these days?

For many Americans, the itch to travel is there, though their wallets and purses may be holding them back from taking those trips they so want to take.

That said there are a variety of ways one can go about getting a trip or two in each year without breaking the bank.

Whether it is cutting back on some other things in life, working a few more hours on the job to bring in some extra income, or even scaling down trips so they are still fun and yet a little less cumbersome to the purse strings, there are tricks of the trade available.

So, are you ready to save some money and still live it up in Brazil or other destinations of your choosing?

Be a Smart Traveler

In order to take advantage of the different travel experiences that are out there for the waiting, remember some of these pointers:

Shop around – Whether you go through a travel company or do most of the planning on your own, always plan on doing some shopping around. For example, if you are researching Brazil tours, see where you might get the best deals possible. Along with turning to friends and family members that have experience with trips to Brazil and/or other South American destinations, you can use the Internet to educate yourself too. By doing a little shopping around and comparing prices along with what you are getting in return for those charges, you can very likely get the best deal going when all is said and done;

Plan your timing right – When you go to various destinations around the world, be it Brazil or other hot spots, timing certainly does play a factor in what you will ultimately end up spending. Although the weather may not be quite as enjoyable in going to Brazil in the U.S. summertime (it is wintertime then in Brazil), you could save some dollars since it is not peak season there. The crowds can also be a little bit less intimidating as compared to going in February when the well-known Brazilian Carnival is taking place for a week;

Where you stay – One of the big choices that travelers must always make is where to stay. Should they spend the extra money to get a really nice hotel or should they scale back on such spending, instead putting that money towards other parts of their trip? That decision typically depends on who you are going with. If you want to impress that special person in your life, then spending a little extra money is certainly not wrong or unheard of. You should also look into what deals hotels and resorts may have available, along with checking out coupon opportunities. On the flip side, if where you stay is not your top priority, by all means look to find a hotel or hotels where the prices are a little bit more reasonable. Sure, the accommodations may not be quite what you wanted and/or expected, but that money saved can go towards many other aspects of your vacation;

What to eat and drink – Food is of course a necessity in life, especially when you need all that energy to keep your vacation going. As many travelers can tell you, eating on the road (that is far away from home) can be a little tricky at times. You want to make sure you map out the food selections of where you will be ahead of time. Look to see if menus will meet your needs, that is instead of getting somewhere and being quite frankly frustrated at what is offered. If you have any issues with drinking the water when you travel, be sure to look for bottled water. Also use that when brushing your teeth etc. along with avoiding ice cubes in your drinks.

If a trip to Brazil is in the offing for you, get to planning it sooner rather than later.

There are many fun things to do in this country of more than 200 million people, things that you will likely be talking about for many years to come.

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August 11, 2016 by DontFlyGo

Travel isn’t just for the rich, check out Groupon Coupons!

Many people have a preconception that travel is something only accessible to the rich. While in the past, this might have been more true, but nowadays, with the advent of the Internet, travel is accessible financially for almost anyone willing to save up just a little bit of money.

Using a travel agent back in the day was one of the only ways to save big on travel packages, but extra fees were tagged on for their services directly or on the back end. Now, all you need is access to the Internet and you can find some pretty steep savings!

One such place you can find major discounts for your next vacation is Groupon Coupons. They have partnered up with countless retailers and service providers and offer some exclusive deals on their site for free! Apple Vacations especially has some monster savings in the travel arena. Check them out today!

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July 19, 2016 by Chase Vandros

Essential travel apps to have in 2016

Download these essential travel apps before taking off on your trip this year

Photo by CC user JESHOOTS on Pixabay

It’s summer vacation season and holiday goers are increasingly turning to technology to enhance their experience. Discover hidden gems, make your activity destination without the loss of bearings, and save a packet on your hotel and other deals. Here are a few essential travel apps to keep you ahead of the game when vacationing.

Duolingo

The language app is excellent for learning simple, essential phrases to help you navigate language barriers in other countries. To maintain interest and concentration, this app requires you to complete levels, with a well-designed variation in testing format, before you progress to the next level. You gain experience points as you advance. This is great for preparing you with useful phrases before you jet off.

FlightTrack

This is a nifty flight path app with mapping, and comprehensive departure gate, arrival, delay information and more, so if you need to know when to pick someone up or plan your flight on the go, you can do it following the plane’s very route.

XE Currency

An essential money saver, XE Currency gives free, up to the minute currency conversion rates which can be saved offline. Not only that, you can access historical conversion rates as well as find information on the values of precious metals as they change. It also helps you compare provider prices to avoid being short-changed.

Skyscanner

It aggregates all the flight prices and deals from travel sites and airlines to find you the best deal. If you bookmark your searches it can help you to watch the changes in price, and it does this for flights, hotels and care hire.

Timeout

A well-known app for suggesting the best activities to do in cities form around the world, it covers everything from bars, festivals and events to monuments and attractions and one-off events and seminars in the local area. The app also lets you book your tickets for events or a table for a bite to eat, and you can even personalise an itinerary from it. If you use the ‘near me’ feature it will update its suggestions to your location.

Wolfram Sun Exposure

This app is a rare and excellent resource for the skin health conscious traveller. It offers a UV forecast, gauges the position of the sun in your location, sunrise and set times, and gives a weather forecast. More importantly, by tapping in the time of day and your skin type, the factor of any sun protection you are wearing, it calculates how long you can safely stay in the sun in its ‘time to sunburn’ feature.

Scribd

If you want to be able to read but not carry an e-reader around, Scribd offers an unlimited access facility for books, personalizing its recommendations based on what you’ve read, and for a set subscription cost is cheaper than buying individual titles. It has a customisable display, special editorial versions of books and you can access anything uploaded to the service, including academic papers and court documents.

Betway

It’s not the first entertainment idea to come to mind but casino games have risen in popularity. That is thanks to the increasing range and format you can play these games online in, also saving phone storage. Everything is available from the traditional slots and roulette to new beach-themed, movie-themed types and more. Your deposits are matched with free bonuses to get you started and keep costs down, giving you something different to do while

Splittr

An innovative cost-sharing app, this is geared especially towards travelling. It lets users chip in for the cost of a meal, accommodation and more, split between friends. You can tap in expenses as you go, noting and saving each contribution, and its support for all the world’s currencies saves you the trouble of converting yourself so you can even enter mixed currencies. It handily lets you create, send and print off reports too.

These are the apps among many that will come in handy for practical reasons as well as finding things to do, and you’ll wonder how you got by without them.

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June 29, 2016 by Chase Vandros

Visiting The UK: Why You Should Head For The Coast

Image: Pixabay

When most people head to the UK, they normally end up in London. While there is nothing wrong with visiting the country’s capital, it is still such a shame that many forget about the rest of Britain! Especially its fabulous coastline. There are so many quaint towns and villages along the coast that are well worth spending some time in. Not too sure about your British geography? Here are some of our favorite coastal destinations; we’re sure you won’t be disappointed!

Blackpool

Up on the northwest coast, the town of Blackpool has plenty to offer families and young travelers. Visit Blackpool for its excellent Pleasure Beach theme park. Spend a day in its large zoo, coming face to face with all the animals. And you can spend a few hours on the sea front, playing in the amusement arcades and eating delicious ice creams. One of Blackpool’s most famous attractions is its tower. The Blackpool Tower was based on the Eiffel Tower. Blackpool’s smaller version still has some impressive views of the town from the top. And you can see some amazing dancing in its ballroom.

Image: Pixabay

Brighton

Another popular seaside town is Brighton. You can easily visit Brighton for the day if you are staying in London, as there is a direct train between both locations. While you’re there, you can enjoy fish and chips on Brighton Pier. There are also a couple of bars and souvenir shops located on the pier. Brighton Museum and Art Gallery showcases some notable local art and also gives you a great glimpse into the town’s past. It’s also worth taking some time to meander through the charming streets. This traditional British is sure to throw up a few surprises!

Rock

This small seaside town in North Cornwall is extremely picturesque so don’t forget your camera! This is a popular location for families to holiday. Kids will love roaming through the rock pools on the beach and building tall sandcastles in the sand. It’s also very popular with water sports enthusiasts. The sea is always filled with surfers, water-skiers, and windsurfers. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never tried your hand at these sports before; there are plenty of surf schools waiting to show you the ropes!

Image: Pixabay

Portmeirion

This cute Welsh town might look very familiar to you. And that’s because it was used as a film set for the TV series The Prisoner. The port was created by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis, and it has quite a quirky feel to it. Many people stay in one of the nearby towns and spend their day in Portmeirion. There are many well-manicured gardens that are perfect for an evening stroll.

Penzance

Another Cornish town on the list! It is quite out of the way and not near any other large town or city. However, the journey to Penzance is well worth it. It is a picturesque journey by either car or train. Another place you don’t want to visit without your camera! The Minack Theatre is one of the most popular tourist attractions. This open-air amphitheater holds regular shows and performances. Other historic landmarks include Lizard Lighthouse. For art and culture, visit the Penlee House art gallery.

Image: Pixabay

Cromer

Located in Norfolk, the town of Cromer has an excellent beach that attracts tourists from far and wide. The town is made up of pretty Victorian townhouses, many of which are now charming B&Bs and guesthouses. Amazona Zoo is the town’s Amazonian-themed zoo. Kids will love watching the colorful parrots and monkeys. Felbrigg Hall is a large stately home surrounded by landscaped gardens. This 17th-century residence is open to the public and a great way to spend a day.

Whitby

Whitby is famous for a few things. It’s large abbey ruins sit on the top of a cliff, overlooking the town. It is also where Dracula is said to have roamed and looked for victims. The Captain Cook Museum tells you everything about the life of the town’s famous sailor and his journeys Down Under. Fish and chips is the town’s traditional dish. Enjoy yours while walking down the pier to the tall Victorian lighthouse. Families always book a trip out to see on one of the many pleasure boats. The kids will love it if you pick the pirate ship!

So next time you are planning a trip to the UK, think about its coastline. It is much prettier than London, and you can see a lot of traditional Britain! The coast is so good, even many Britons head there themselves!